Why Worldview Matters

 

 

Hello Friends,

Today’s post features Dr. Josh Mulvihill, the Executive Director of RenewaNation’s Church and Family Ministry. He served as a pastor for nearly 20 years and helped launch The Legacy Coalition, a ministry that equips grandparents to pass faith on to future generations. He holds a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is the author of Biblical Grandparenting, Preparing Children for Marriage, and Biblical Worldview: What It Is, Why It Matters, And How to Shape the Worldview of the Next Generation. Josh is married to Jen, and they have five children. Please feel free to connect with Josh on Twitter at @DrJoshMulvihill.  

A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.
- Theodore Roosevelt

Many Christian young people are unprepared to navigate the tidal wave of unbiblical ideas that confront them. If George Barna is correct, over 70% of Christian young people will reject their faith before they reach the age of 30. We all know teenagers who have drifted and walked away from Christ. We never think that person could one day be our own child. When the pressure is turned up, our children will struggle if they don’t have confidence that comes from knowing what they believe and why they believe it.

Who is doing a better job of imparting their worldview to children, the world or the church? If we are honest, many churches and families are struggling to pass on a deep, lasting, actionable faith to future generations. Athletics, academics, and the arts are often prioritized over the nurture of a child’s faith. Children may end up at a prestigious university or receive an athletic scholarship, but their faith lags far behind and leaves them vulnerable to the deception of the world.

George Barna states, “A person’s worldview is primarily shaped and is firmly in place by the time someone reaches the age of thirteen; it is refined through experience during the teen and early adult years, and then it is passed on to others during their adult life. Such studies underscore the necessity of parents and other influencers being intentional in how they help develop the worldview of children.” High numbers of parents and grandparents are not developing their child’s worldview, and the spiritual vacuum is filled with cultural ideas and secular thought.

That’s why worldview matters. Biblical worldview is worthy of our attention and resources.

Below are six reasons why every family and church needs to help children develop a biblical worldview.

 A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW:

1. Provides Wisdom for Life

When you have a parenting problem, where do you look for answers? When you want to learn how to grandparent, where do you turn for guidance? When you want teaching methods, where do you look for ideas? When you have a decision to make, where do you turn for wisdom?

Through the power of God, we have “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). 2 Timothy 3:15-17 says, “The sacred writings are able to make you wise for salvation in Christ Jesus ... and equipped for every good work.” The key word in these verses is the word “everything.” God has given us everything we need to do what he has commanded us in the Bible.

 Today many believe in biblical authority, but fail to help our young people understand how the Bible is sufficient for life and work. We confess its authority of scripture, but we fail to communicate its relevance. When the rubber meets the road, often due to a lack of faith, we discount its ability to do what is necessary to draw unbelievers to Christ, enable us to grow in godliness, provide direction for our lives, and transform and revitalize society. In our day, the battle is against those who would have us use worldly means to do God’s work.”

2. Develops the Foundation for a Lifelong Faith in Jesus

Perhaps you’ve heard about the high number of young people who are dropping out of the church, walking away from their faith in Christ, and about the low numbers of young believers who have a biblical view of life. As a pastor to families for nearly twenty years, I’ve seen the following patterns develop:

• Biblical illiteracy: Alarmingly high numbers of children raised in Christian homes do not know what the Bible teaches.

• Biblical confusion: High numbers of young Christians do not know why they should believe the teachings of the Bible instead of other views.

• Biblical immaturity: When young people encounter a different belief system, many do not know how to defend their faith or explain the basic truths of the Bible.

 What leads to lifelong faith for children? According to the apostle Paul, a Scripture-saturated, Bible-based upbringing of engaged faith shapes the beliefs of children. Paul instructs Timothy, “Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings” (2 Tim 3:14-15).

 One of Paul’s goals for Timothy is firm belief which is the result of three things: what Timothy learned (biblical truth), who he learned from (parent, grandparent, and spiritual mentor), and how he learned (being taught the Bible from childhood). Notice, the Bible is concerned with what children learn, who teaches children, and how children are to learn. If we want children to live a godly life, for their entire life, then these are God’s methods toward that end.

3. Shapes Character and Conduct by Truth

A common phrase used to communicate how to pass on faith to future generations is this, “Faith is caught, not taught.” It sounds spiritual. But it is an unfortunate perceived dichotomy. In the Bible, learning occurs relationally, experientially, and verbally. Faith is caught and taught!

 Faith is caught, which is why we must be able to say to young people, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Faith is also taught. The Bible prioritizes teaching as the primary method of helping future generations know Christ and grow in maturity. Let’s explore a few passages (paraphrased) that command parents and grandparents to teach the truth of God’s Word to young people.

• Teach these things to your children and your children’s children (Deut 4:9).

• You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk about them when you sit, walk, lie down, and when you rise (Deut 6:7).

• Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teaching (Prov 1:8).

• Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4).

• Older women ... are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands. Older men ... urge the younger men to be self-controlled (Titus 2:2-6).

 Parents and grandparents are to use the Bible to shape who a child becomes and how the child lives. This is the pattern and command of Scripture.

4. Defends Against Counterfeit Ideas

A biblical worldview helps children defend their faith. Raising children today requires a Colossians 2:7-8 mindset: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

 The strategy that Paul provides is simple. We are to teach the core truth of Scripture so that a Christian is established in the faith, then introduce a competing belief system and dismantle it by exposing why it is false. When I teach kids, I refer to this as the Bible’s big truth and the world’s big lie.

 In a post-Christian society, children are going to face strong opposition and competing belief systems, and unless they are rooted in the Bible, they will absorb the ideas of our day and assimilate to the beliefs of our culture. Our aim is to shape the beliefs of young people, and to do that, we must train children to defend their faith against deceptive and competing belief systems.

5. Answers the Big Questions of Life

A biblical worldview answers the big questions children ask: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Who am I? What went wrong with the world? What is the solution? What is the purpose of life? What happens in the future?

 Young people are hungry for truth and are searching for answers. They desire open and honest face-to-face conversations. Young people want real answers and are attracted to authenticity. Due to an abundance of information, young people do not know what information is trustworthy; thus they have a prove-it-to-me mindset. One of the most compelling proofs for young people is an authentic life. The individual that speaks the truth in love and practices what he or she preaches is incredibly influential in a young person’s life. Here are three suggestions to answer the spiritual questions children will have:

• Ask questions before children ask them. Don’t be afraid to talk about difficult topics. Encourage children to think deeply about the truths of the Bible.

• Answer with Scripture. Encourage children to become a student of God’s Word. They either know the answer or know where to get the answer.

• Aim to be an askable parent, grandparent, pastor, or teacher. Invite questions, take them seriously, and answer them diligently so that the child who is weighing the claims of the Bible will be persuaded to believe in Christ.

 6. Equips Individuals for Service to Christ

The world does not need Christians who are culturally saturated. It needs agents of the gospel filled with the aroma of Christ. A biblical worldview not only shapes what a child believes but also equips the child to live in a manner worthy of the gospel, for the good of others and the glory of God through their future vocation. A biblical view of topics such as science, law, medicine, and education will provide the framework so that children can positively impact the world for Christ. A biblical worldview equips children to serve God using the gifts He has given them.

Radical Teaching

Hello Friends, 

Sadly, adolescents, particularly Christian youths, are struggling to find their purpose and calling in life. The lack of theology of work instruction is a primary cause. Just recently, I learned of an unfortunate situation where a guest youth speaker asked high school students who had been called to church or Christian education ministry to come forward so that they could be prayed over at the altar, leaving those called differently in their seats. Having no prayers or acknowledgement offered to them, these students were left disillusioned with feelings of guilt and shame. Unfortunately, the spiritual emphasis they received that day was the understanding that what they had once believed to be their calling was less important and not considered Kingdom work. Christian education and the Church must recognize that this mindset only serves to propagate the secular sacred divide. Instead, all Christian ministries should be intent on clarifying the Dominion Mandate.

Future historians, engineers, doctors, nurses, math teachers, mechanics, construction workers, etc., whose heart is to truly glorify God through every facet of their chosen career, should be recognized and spiritually equipped for battle as cultural transformation soldiers. If we in Christian education and the church world truly believe in the criticality of imparting Biblical Worldview education, we must reform the skewed philosophies that continually discourage and hamper a multitude of young people who desire to bend back God’s Creation to its original design in their area of interest. 

We have a formidable generation of Kingdom-minded change agents poised to lead the next great awakening. May we not neglect this opportunity.

Please read the following article first published in 2017 by our friend, Dr. Christian Overman, to learn more.

Martin Luther spent portions of his life in seclusion. The establishment did not appreciate his efforts to drain the swamp of anti-biblical practices. This is a 1521 painting of Martin Luther disguised as "Jonker Jörg," an identity he took on while secluded at the Wartburg castle. This man looks haggard and stressed to me. He paid a high price for his passion. (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo by nevsepic.com.ua.)

When the television series Biography addressed the question of the most important figure of the past millennium, they placed Johann Gutenberg first, Isaac Newton second, and Martin Luther third.

When members of the Religion Newswriters Association were asked to vote for the most significant religious story of the past 1000 years, the event that came out on top took place in 1517, when Martin Luther went public with 95 propositions supporting his contention that the Church's practice of selling "indulgences" (whereby people paid money to cut down their time in purgatory) was wrong and abusive, which, the newswriters said, “sparked a Protestant Reformation whose results are still being felt."

We have a lot to celebrate with respect to Luther's courage and the Reformation that ensued. Luther is often acknowledged for his role in restoring great truths such as "Scripture alone," the "priesthood of all believers," and "saved by grace, not by works." But what is not often mentioned in Evangelical circles is Luther's radical teaching on the sacredness of all vocations. 

His teaching on this forgotten truth elevated the work of the milkmaid and the farmer to that of the pastor in the pulpit, and the monk in the monastery. Yes, this was radical teaching!

A few years ago, I had the privilege of video recording a conversation with Os Guinness, one of the most respected voices in the Evangelical world today, about the effects of the Reformation on Western culture, and specifically the effects of Martin Luther's radical teaching on work. 

The Doctrine of Vocation was a powerful driver in the early Reformation, but it has been largely forgotten today. It begs to be recovered, and, by God's grace, this is something Worldview Matters (and RenewaNation) and others are laboring to do. Our particular focus is on restoring theology of work to the standard curriculum of elementary and secondary schools, and to the hearts and minds of adults in the church.

An excellent book that deals specifically with Luther's Doctrine of Vocation is Gene Edward Veith, Jr's, God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. I highly recommend it.

I invite you to view an edited version of my conversation with Os Guinness here.

Breaking the Fallow Ground

               Breaking the Fallow Ground

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is the time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 NIV

Only a little while, sowing and reaping,

Only a little while, our vigil keeping;

Then we shall gather home, no more to sever,

Clasped in eternal love, blest, blest forever.

-Fanny Crosby

Hello Friends,

The concept of unplowed or fallow ground can take on several meanings. Visually, it ushers in a picture of hardened soil suffering from a lack of close care. Weeds are crowding the space that once offered optimal conditions for harvest. The soil, no longer being bent back toward God’s original design, is sadly denied the fulfillment of its intended purpose. 

Unplowed or fallow ground can be symbolic of a life woefully misguided due to the absence of Biblical shepherding. Unwavering, unapologetic, scripturally-aligned shepherding ensures a God-glorifying, fulfilled life. Without such cultivation, there is high likelihood that weeds such as purposelessness, despair, entitlement, and vengefulness will choke out one’s God-ordained, inherent potential.

From the beginning, God tasked parents, grandparents, and the family with this responsibility.  

   

These are the commands, decrees, and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children, and their children, and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Deuteronomy 6:1-3

We are to be steadily cultivating, through instruction and modeling, our children’s minds and hearts to follow, honor, and live for Him.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6: 5-9

God’s Word is unquestionably clear. 

 

Parents, grandparents, and family, please take a moment to self-reflect. If you have been blessed and charged by God with a child or children, then ask these critical questions. Is this a priority or an occasional preference? Is it daily or a couple of times a week/month/year? Are you equipping yourself well by praying, studying God’s Word, and growing in knowledge with other like-minded believers? Who are you trusting outside of your direct influence to come alongside you and pour God’s precepts and promises into your child’s mind and heart? How much concentrated time are you having with your child versus this outside entity?

Cultivation of the mind and heart is education. Today, the where, what, why, and how principles of educational philosophies and methodologies can create a great deal of contentious debate. Additionally, the educational choices society is afforded are numerous. To make wise decisions, we need to prayerfully seek God’s will, and recount His scriptural positions on instruction. Additionally, we must bear the charge He has entrusted, and responsibly take ownership of the choice.  

If a family chooses a public institution of learning, then a great deal of supervision, refutation of falsehoods, Christian legal advocacy, campus involvement, and intentional home and church-guided Biblical instruction is imperative. When homeschooling, a family must recognize the criticality of their child’s Biblical worldview instruction and well-rounded preparedness through curriculum choice, time management, and like-minded fellowship and collaboration. Choosing a private, Christian school must entail a thorough examination of whether its mission, vision, staff and student culture, leadership, curriculum, and classroom instruction are saturated in Biblical Worldview. This can only be discovered through tours, in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and textbook reviews.  

No subject matter, textbook, literature, song, piece of art, play, sport, or lecture is neutral. Either it bears witness to God, or it directs a mind and heart subtly or openly away from Him. The how of education can be the most celebrated, sinister, or confusing aspect. It is the heartbeat of education. Currently, we are witnessing frequent reports of political and societal agendas being blatantly injected into public education’s how, yet a vast amount of Christian homeschool and private educators are lamenting that they are ill-equipped and lack training on Biblical Worldview contextualization.  

Since its inception, RenewaNation has been blessed to inspire many Christian educators to the need of Biblical Worldview education. As God has connected us with phenomenal resources over the past few years, we will be taking Biblical Worldview educator training to the next level with the launch of our REAP (RenewaNation Educator Advancement Program) initiative. REAP is focused on equipping educators with the tools, resources, and skills to cultivate Biblical education in their homes, classrooms, and churches. 

The official launch commences with our 2021 “Sowing for the Harvest” conference. Guest speakers Dr. Roger Erdvig, Dr. Keith McCurdy, and RenewaNation’s Jeff Keaton will lead dynamic main sessions that will encourage and challenge educators and administrators to examine afresh their educational environment and approach. Breakout sessions on how to Biblically contextualize Elementary, Middle, and High school specific subject matter will prove invaluable with planning for the upcoming school year. The “Sowing for the Harvest” conference is just the beginning of REAP’s new and exciting educator training and equipping resources. 

There is a battle being waged for the hearts and minds of our children. We must be prepared to cultivate and harvest a mighty multitude for the cause of Christ!

For more information about REAP and our 2021 "Sowing for the Harvest" conference, go to Renewanation.org/REAP or email me at tgordon@renewanation.org.